Election addresses by nominees to the BATOD National Executive Council 2024-26

There was one candidate for President Elect: Claire Jacks and she is hereby elected to the post (commencing President role in March 2025).

[Jackie Salter withdrew from President Elect role in September 2024)

Claire Jacks  

I am currently the Assistant Head Hearing Team Leader for Bolton Sensory Support Service. We are a team of six QToDs and a Qualified MSI teacher. 

I started my career as a Household Insurance Underwriter. However, when I was made redundant, I used the redundancy package to train as a teacher at London South Bank University. I worked in a mainstream primary for several years before getting a job as an unqualified teacher of the deaf in a primary resource base. I loved it! And decided to undertake the mandatory qualification to become a QToD with the University of Birmingham.  

My family and I moved to Lancashire and shortly after the move, I started work at Thomasson Memorial School for the Deaf. In 2008, I became a Peripatetic QToD. In 2012, I gained a place on the Mary Hare/ Oxford Brookes University PGCE course to specialise in Early Years and Deafness, I took this a little further and gained my Master’s Degree.  I have continued to embrace new challenges, working on secondment with Rochdale Additional Needs Service, as a consultant in Lancashire, as a consultant with the NDCS and as a teaching placement supervisor with both the University of Manchester and the University of Birmingham.   

I attended the BATOD North Study Day for several years and in 2016, I joined the BATOD North Committee. I was elected as Chair of BATOD North Committee in 2019 and elected to the NEC that same year. I currently chair the PR group for the NEC.  

Claire Armitage

I was an active and Qualified Teacher of  Deaf (QTOD) Children for twenty five years before my retirement in August 2023.  During my career as a QTOD, I worked as a Resource Base Manager in Wakefield, where I was asked to set up the first Resource Provision for supporting primary  aged D/deaf children  in the Local Authority.  I thoroughly enjoyed building up a team of QTODs and Specialist Support workers to ensure the needs of D/deaf children, their peers, families and the host school staff were met to empower D/deaf children to achieve their potential.  I have also worked as a peripatetic QTOD across the age ranges 0-16 and College age.  More recently I focused on the Early Years from first diagnosis and D/deaf children and their families new to the area, developing local policies with parties from a number of agencies to ensure smooth transition and co-working with SEND groups, Audiology and CHSWG to develop Local Authority policies and practises.    

I became Lead Teacher in Wakefield for D/deaf children and young people, a post at which I co-worked successfully with a colleague focusing on Pre and Primary School.  I then took this post on and worked a with a fantastic team of people in the Hearing Impairment Team and more widely.  We were able to  develop Music, a series of phonics  booklets for schools and families (pre publication of Letters and Sounds).   My last post was Team Leader for the Rotherham HI Team, which I worked at for ten years.  Again, I worked with a fantastic set of people and was able to make more of a strategic difference, covering Team Lead for the Learning Support Service, Team Lead for the VI Team in addition for a short time. My strategic role  included working  within sub groups  for Local Area Inspection, regular attendance at SEND Panel and Referral Panels and developing policy, whilst holding a pre-school caseload.  I have been involved in planning a BATOD  training Day with colleagues and regional meetings and training days within the world of Deaf and MSI  education. I was also an active member of NERHOS {North East Region Heads of Service) and was an active member of the Sign Bilingual Consortium for a time. 

During my career,  and up to the present, I have been an active member of the BATOD North Committee where we plan a study day each year for QTODs and TOD Talks  sessions. I remain passionate about the education, social and emotional development of Deaf children and their families and I would love to contribute more strategically within BATOD National. 

Tina Wakefield

I have had over 30 years experience in teaching, 25 in teaching deaf children. My experience ranges from originally being a class teacher, a secondary school SENCo, and then a QToD working in a variety of integrated resources and peripatetic settings. I then managed a large service for Deaf Children.

I am at present an educational consultant working mainly for NDCS and as a teaching practice supervisor for several universities. I have recently been involved in the creation of an Apprenticeship for Teachers of the Sensory Impaired and the new Specialist Deaf Curriculum Framework.

I am a governor of a primary school with a high level of SEND and social deprivation, and was previously a governor of a Teaching Hospitals Trust with particular interest in disability equality.

I have been involved in the development of testing and ensuring fair access for deaf children for many years working with the DfE and STA.

I have a deteriorating hearing loss, now severe, and feel this has helped me to understand the personal challenges met every day by deaf children and young people and their families.

I have always been a keen member of BATOD and really appreciate the  hard work carried out by this organisation for the profession.

Sibel Djemal

Manager, Sensory Support Team 0-25yrs, Cambridgeshire.

In my current post I provide strategic leadership on the development of policy and practice in Sensory Impairment, in particular, the areas of Deafness, Vision Impairment & Multi-Sensory Impairment.  This includes the development of effective interventions and support for those children and young people who have additional needs in relation to Sensory Impairment.  I have a strategic lead for the research and development of effective interventions and provide expertise and support to schools, settings, families and other professionals.  I also advise and quality assure specialist enhanced provisions in the county as well as responding to Freedom of Information requests.

I ensure the effectiveness of out county provision for children and young people who have an Education, Health and Care Plan for Deafness, Vision Impairment & MSI.

I ensure that the SEND Countywide Specialist Sensory Service provides high quality and inclusive evidence based support and interventions to schools, families and other professionals. This is delivered through training, access to up to date information and research, feedback from service users and measures of impact.

I have line management responsibility and also provide professional supervision to ensure that Sensory Impairment practitioners are able to meet the requirements of external professional and regulatory bodies.  I also have responsibility for managing resources to make sure that the service delivers on it’s core and statutory duties consistently across the county.